GREAT BARRINGTON — Unless a plan is worked out, the only bowling alley in southern Berkshire County will be sold in a foreclosure auction next month.
A display advertisement in the November 20 Berkshire Eagle announced the upcoming auction, which will occur at the Cove bowling alley property at 109 Stockbridge Road at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 15. The ad includes the name of the attorney for the mortgagee, Boston lawyer Lauren A. Solar, who did not return a message seeking comment.
Cove co-owner Tom Hankey, who acquired the property in 2008 with his aunt, Juanita O’Rourke, told The Edge he reopened in January after being closed for nearly a year after the COVID-19 pandemic hit the region.
Asked for more information on the closure, such as the name of the creditor and the amount he defaulted on, Hankey declined to comment.
“We’re working to get out of the situation, so I have no comment,” Hankey said in a brief phone interview. “We’re just trying to get ourselves out of the situation and we’re just working on it, so … as soon as I know something, I’m sure everybody will find out.”
According to records at the Southern Berkshire Registry of Deeds, the chief creditor is Greylock Federal Credit Union, which loaned Hankey O’Rourke Enterprises LLC $1.25 million on May 23, 2008, the same day the $1.5 million sale of the 3.69-acre property closed.
Public records also show that Hankey O’Rourke Enterprises filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on June 21, 2019, and was represented by Springfield bankruptcy attorney Steven Weiss. Hankey and O’Rourke listed assets between $1 million and $10 million and liabilities in the same range.
Ellyn DuPont, assistant tax collector for the town of Great Barrington, confirmed to The Edge that Hankey O’Rourke Enterprises has not paid any property taxes to the town since the bankruptcy filing.
The property and the buildings are assessed at more than $1.8 million. With Great Barrington’s tax rate of $16 per $1,000 of assessed value, the Cove’s tax bill for one year would be approximately $28,800. There is also a U-Haul Center on the property.
Founded in 1958, the Cove Lanes at 109 Stockbridge Road (Route 7) has been a fixture in South County for several decades. As Edge correspondent Victor Feldman reported in 2017, the Cove is thought to have been an inspiration for the “The Big Lebowski,” the 1998 black comedy crime film written, produced, and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, who had visited The Cove as students at Bard College at Simon’s Rock. The movie, starring Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, and Steve Buscemi, is partly set in a bowling alley.
See trailer below of the Big Lebowski, written, produced, and directed by two graduates of Simon’s Rock:
As Feldman reported, Hankey and O’Rourke put the property up for sale in 2017 for $4.5 million. The property includes the bowling structure that houses 24 lanes, a bar, an indoor mini-golf course, and a parking lot with a capacity of 100 cars.
The auction is being handled by Sullivan & Sullivan Auctioneers of Sandwich. The company auction notice boasts a 26,012-square-foot “sprawling” building, featuring “an iconic bowling alley, indoor mini golf, bar, food stands, and arcade … Zoned Commercial with many possibilities.”
Would-be buyers must bring a $75,000 deposit in the form of a bank check. Additional funds needed to bring the deposit up to 10 percent of the purchase price will be due within five business days. The balance of the purchase price will be due in 30 days. The property is being sold “as is.”
Existing nearby bowling alleys are located in Pittsfield, North Adams, and Shelburne Falls, Mass.
